


Illuminate

by Tulikettu



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Canon Divergence, M/M, Underwater, beau pining over yasha, but in a good way, everyone is happy, fjorclay, in case that is a trigger for anyone, the setting is, there's also some
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-20
Updated: 2020-09-20
Packaged: 2021-03-08 02:55:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,093
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26568397
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tulikettu/pseuds/Tulikettu
Summary: Jester is playing a game of double matchmaker and using a tourist spot to help her.Fjord has issues with words.Caduceus might not hate the water as much as he used to.
Relationships: Caduceus Clay/Fjord
Comments: 4
Kudos: 77
Collections: Pride Month 2020





	Illuminate

**Author's Note:**

> Based from the Pride Month Prompt 2020, #8 - Aquarium
> 
> This was the very first Fjord/Caduceus fic I wrote, and I changed out a few things in editing now that I'm all caught up, but there might be some lingering ooc bits that I couldn't really take out.

“...and there are so many great places to eat and there are galleries and museums-” Jester is babbling as she walks arm-in-arm with Beau on one side and Caduceus on the other as they stroll down the middle of the most picturesque town any of them have ever seen. Except for Jester. She’s been here before on vacation with her mom.

That’s why they’re here now. A vacation. 

It’s early in the morning. They rocked up late last night and now they get to enjoy the views. Mountains crawl over the horizon on one side and the ocean spreads out wide on every other side, but it isn’t like the mountain-beach combo they’ve been to before. It’s carved out for tourism, and it’s not an island, just a secluded part of the Menagerie Coast, hidden from the view of the rest of the continent behind that mountain range that doesn’t sport a single volcano. 

Caleb is meandering along, distracted by the plethora of bookshops and stores selling trinkets for all manner of magical use. The space by his side where Veth would normally be is vacant, the halfling and her family off doing something a little more entertaining for a child than just wandering idly, taking time. On the opposite side of the street, Fjord is strolling along just behind the chain of three, watching the backs of their heads fondly. Beside him Yasha is admiring the town, a serene expression on her face as she drinks in the beauty all around her. 

“...and oh my gosh there is the Aqua Dome! It’s so beautiful! It’s in the sea and it’s glass and you can see all the fishes and it’s so romantic!”

“Well, that really sounds wonderful!” Caduceus smiles, his voice warm with enthusiasm. “I would absolutely love to see that.”

Jester shoots a glance over her shoulder. “Do you want to go to the Aqua Dome, Fjord?”

Fjord snaps out of his peaceful reverie looking at the back of their heads, his eyes focusing on Jester. “Oh. Yeah. I like water. And fish.”

Jester beams. “Cool! Caleb, you don’t have to come, you can go look at books,” she says in a sing-song voice.

“Oh, thank you,” Caleb says, as though he needed permission. He takes that as a cue to immediately break away from his friends, making a beeline for the closest shop with murmurs of meeting them back at their rented cottage in a few hours. 

Because it’s still early there isn’t a queue at the dome. Jester covers the entrance fee and the five of them descend the rather dark staircase, Jester in front, bouncing with excitement. 

Fjord is at the back, waiting for everyone else to walk in in front of him. He likes being here. Likes being able to see everyone, to know they’re safe. Even if all of them have shown themselves capable over and over, more capable than him, even, this makes him feel at ease. And he’s right behind Caduceus. The firbolg smells of flowers, like an aura that hangs around him. A warm meadow.

Fjord takes a slow, deep breath, but any noise he might have made is drowned out by the gasps that come one at a time from his companions once they reach the bottom of the stairs. 

He sees why a heartbeat later.

The room they have descended into is huge and open. Everything but the floor is glass, curving up so that the peak just brushes sea-level. The light dancing over the water and the slow draw and fall of the waves makes the floor ripple. And there are fish all around them. The base of the dome is at level with the sea bed, where there are more creatures crawling around, some peering up at the barrier and the people looking at them from the other side, others just going about their business paying them no mind. 

Yasha is already walking over to the glass, drawn like a magnet to a small, silvery school of fish that shimmer as they flit back and forth, their scales catching the light in a dazzling display. 

Beau follows her like a puppy, still and quiet at Yasha’s side, just watching, completely out of character for her normally, but around their barbarian friend she’s almost a different person. There’s a flush in her cheeks and a sparkle in her eyes that is different to her routinely annoyed or ready-to-fight glint. The two of them stand close, admiring fish. Who’d have thought? 

Jester grins and goes to plonk herself on one of the benches in the middle of the floor, taking out her notebook from her day bag and opening it in her lap.

“I’m just going to write a letter to the Traveller, you guys just go on without me,” she says casually to Fjord and Caduceus, pulling a whole multitude of coloured pens from the depths of her bag. 

Fjord looks at her with a frown, but Jester is already focused on her book. 

He sighs, and then looks over at Caduceus, who is now walking slowly around, hands folded contentedly behind his back. He looks ethereal. The light on him picks up the pale fur that covers him and gives him a glow.

He’s gorgeous, even with a distance between them Fjord can see the look of wonder on the firbolgs face, eyes wide, lips curved into a smile. The other times they’d been under the water in recent memory hadn’t left a lot of time for the simple enjoyment of it’s beauty or the creatures beneath it. Usually they were swimming for their lives or fighting. More often than not both. And as Caduceus had never been near the water until he was with the Nein and doing all that swimming and fighting and killing, he’s never had the opportunity to know what wonders it actually holds.

Jester coughs pointedly. “Goandstandwithhim,” she says, unsubtly under the pretense of clearing her throat. 

Fjords cheeks heat up, but he goes. His feet sound loud in his ears as he walks across the floor. Or maybe it’s just his heart hammering. 

He makes it to Caduceus’ side, looking up at the graceful silhouette. 

“It’s really beautiful, isn’t it?” Caduceus whispers, looking above them with awe clear on his face.

“Gods, so beautiful,” Fjord whispers, a crack in his voice as he can’t seem to tear his eyes away from the other man’s face. 

Caduceus moves, steps forward, placing his fingers against the glass. Fjord watches in amazement as a few brightly coloured fish swim up to it, dancing around the spot where fingertips make contact with the hard surface.

“Hey guys! Hi!” Caduceus laughs, the sound like warm honey being poured over Fjord’s skin. “Fjord, come here-” his other hand reaches out behind him, taking hold of Fjord’s fingers and pulling him gently forwards. He guides Fjord to the glass too, which is cold, especially compared to the heat of Caduceus’ touch, but more fish swim over curiously, bumping against the glass with interest. Caduceus chuckles, and Fjord is certain he feels a thumb brush against his knuckles, but his attention is town between the fish and the face of the firbolg beside him. 

“They like this,” Caduceus says, apparently in conversation with the fish as his hand slowly leaves Fjord’s, dropping back down to his side, the other still gently pressed to the glass. “They like seeing us. They think it’s hilarious that we come down here to watch them.”

Amused, Fjord looks up and sees Caduceus’ ears perked and focused towards the glass. “It’s nice for them, watching us with our legs-”

“Our legs?” Fjord laughs.

“Fish don’t have legs,” Caduceus whispers distractedly.

Grinning, Fjord lowers his hand, watching his gathering of fish either join Caduceus’ or just swim off.

They’re standing a lot closer now that Fjord’s arm is down. The backs of their hands brush. 

A long, dark fish swims by and gives them the eye, making the remaining fish scatter.

“There’s always one that spoils things,” Caduceus says, voice warm. “But there’s still a lot to see. It’s wonderful down here. I would never have imagined- do you know what they’re all called?”

“Some,” Fjord replies.  _ Plenty  _ is the real answer, but he doesn’t want to brag.

Caduceus turns his head and smiles at Fjord. “Tell me what you know. I’d love to learn from you.”

Fjord takes a breath and points, clearing his throat. “Uh, well, the ones you were talking to were called herring. People eat them a lot. The big one was a catfish-”

“Catfish,” Caduceus repeats the word with amusement. 

“They’re like little sharks,” Fjord continues, holding his fingers up to the glass again so that he can point better. “The little ones in groups are called silver dragons because-” at their sides their hands touch, their fingers brushing. It feels purposeful, at least in that Caduceus doesn’t pull away, let’s their rest pointedly against each other. “-uh, because...they travel in big groups-” he tries, though his brain is starting to forget everything except the points of contact. The backs of their hands brush and then their fingers, and then they’re palm to palm, not quite holding hands but it’s intimate. Fjord’s heart is skipping. “-and uh, from above they look...they look like a dragon. But underwater-” he tries, he tries so hard, and then their fingers lace together properly and he can’t get further than  _ flappy scaly boy for eating _ . 

“Go on,” Caduceus prompts softly when Fjord realises he’s holding his breath and hasn’t managed to get any more words out yet. 

“I- uh- have you ever heard of a squid?”

“Tell me,” Caduceus smiles, as though he doesn’t realise Fjord is already having trouble breathing. 

“They like octopuses, but longer-” Fjord tries. “They’re like little squishy things with tentacles and they’re pretty tasty. Shit, sorry-” he apologises, remembering that Caduceus isn’t one to eat animals. 

“Don’t, it’s fine. They sound odd,” Caduceus laughs, stepping in slightly closer, looking at Fjord with the same kind of wonder he’s just been directing at the ocean.

“Clams swim by flapping their shells-” Fjord whispers, wanting to pinch himself because Caduceus is almost chest to chest with him, their fingers wound together. “You’re real- beautiful. I mean- like, you take my breath away.”

“It’s really nice to have these feelings, and to know they’re reciprocated,” Caduceus replies, his voice just as quiet as Fjord’s. “I didn’t understand them at first, but I enjoy the comfort of being around you, and the way my heart beats faster.”

Fjord doesn’t feel as though he’s said enough now, in comparison. He doesn’t think he’s sufficiently conveyed the depths of his feelings, but once more his words are stuck in his throat. 

“That you think I’m beautiful means the world to me,” Caduceus continues, as though he doesn’t need Fjord to say anything else. “Thank you.”

Fjord takes a deep, steadying breath, squeezing their fingers. “You wanna see some more fish?”

“I would love to.”

* * *

  
  
  


“Hey, Fjord?” Jester creeps up beside him later whilst they’re all sitting outside their cottage, unwinding from the day. Caleb is reading, Beau is braiding Yasha’s hair, and Veth and Caduceus are inside cleaning up from dinner. 

“Hi, Jester,” Fjord replies, gesturing to the seat next to him for her to sit down. 

“I drew you something,” she says quietly, her eyes bright as she takes a page out of the sketchbook she’s holding.

It’s a picture of himself and Caduceus, bathed in the blue light of the Aqua Dome. They’re looking at each other, their hands joined, ignoring the display of very varied fish swimming next to them on the other side of the glass. Jester may have also embellished the hearts above their heads. 

“It’s a memento of your first date,” she whispers, vibrating with happy energy that Fjord can feel. 

“Thank you, Jester,” he says, genuinely touched by the offer and the ease with which the two of them have accepted their roles in each others lives. 

“Just make each other happy,” Jester says, placing her hand on his forearm and giving it a gentle squeeze. “It’s all the thanks I need.” She lowers her voice. “And when you make babies I want to be their favourite aunt.”

“I- geez, Jester. I don’t think-”

Fjord looks up when Caduceus wanders back outside. Their eyes meet, and he feels the smile spreading over his face, warmth flooding through him. 

“Okay, sure. Why not,” he says. Weirder things have happened. 

**Author's Note:**

> This was a short and soft one from my pile of Fjorclay fics, so hopefully it gives someone some warm, happy feelings. 
> 
> You can yell at me on discord Tulikettu#0322
> 
> Stay safe, take care of yourselves, be kind to each other.


End file.
